Overshoe storage rack



March 1960 J. w. NEUWIRTH 2,928,549 Q OVERSHOE STORAGE RACK -Filed Nov.1, 1954 [WE/V701? JIMEJ W/VEl/MRTH ATToRNE Ks United States PatentOVERSHOE STORAGE RACK James W. Neuwirth, Minneapolis, Minn. ApplicationNovember 1, 1954, Serial No. 465,862

3 Claims. Cl. 211-34 This invention relates to a device for storingovershoes and the like. More particularly, this invention relates to arack for holding overshoes, galoshes and similar foul weather footwearin an orderly manner while preventing soiling of the floor or carpetfrom rain, melting ice or snow and dirt draining off the footwear.

Foul weather footwear is an ordinary and conventional article of apparelfor most people living in the northern sections of the United Statesduring most of the days of the winter season, and many fall and springdays. Almost invariably, when worn, the outer shoes will become wet fromrain or slush, or will be encrusted with snow or ice, and most oftenalso grime and soil and mud from:

the streets and sidewalks. Door mats, when used, normally are onlypartially effective in removing this residue. Upon going indoors andremoving the overshoes, people have been faced with the perennialproblem of what to do with their dirty overshoes. If left outdoors on aporch or in an entry hall, they are cold and stiff when they must nextbe put on, or they may be stolen. If brought into the warm indoors, caremust be taken to prevent the water and dirt from soiling floors andcarpets. The available expedients for preventing this have beengenerally unsatisfactory or unsightly. Newspapers or rugs spread forthis purpose quickly become begrimed. Particularly in a household havingchildren, the problem may sometimes become acute.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide a storage rackforovershoes which permits orderly disposition of the footwear andcontrolled drainage and collection of the water and dirt, keeping it offthe floor and carpets.

Another object of this invention is to provide a storage rack forovershoes which is compact for storage and shipment, readily assembledfor use and just as readily dismantled when no longer needed.

A further object of the invention is to provide an easily cleaned andsanitary rack for storing overshoes for holding the shoes in an orderlyfashion and having a drainage pan for collecting water and dirt from theovershoes.

Other objects will become apparent as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, this inventionthen comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularlypointed out in the claims, the following description setting forth indetail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these beingindicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which theprinciples of the invention may be employed.

The invention is illustrated by the drawings, in which the same numeralsare used to designate corresponding parts and in which:

Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the overshoe rack of thisinvention; and

Figure 2 is a transverse vertical section through the assembled rackshowing a pair of overshoes in place in the rack.

2,928,549 Patented Mar. 15, 1960 Referring now to the drawings, as hereillustrated, the storage rack is comprised of three principal elements:a shallow rectangular pan indicated generally at 1 and a a pair ofremovable side members, indicated generally at 2, adapted to be fitrigidly on the sidewalls of the pan 1. Pan 1 is comprised of a bottom 4,two elongated side walls 5 and two shorter end walls 6, preferably allof equal height and joined to form a shallow water-tight utensil. Thepan 1 is desirably constructed from a single sheetof-metal, such as, forexample, 26 guagesheet iron, folded at the edges, soldered or welded atthe corners and preferably painted with a water-resisting enamel or likecoating material.

The side members 2 are adapted to stand upright on the side walls 5 ofthe pan 1. Side members 2 are provided on their upper edge with aplurality of relatively deep, generally V-shaped grooves or throats 7into which the instep portions of. overshoes may be inserted. The sidemembers may be formed of sheet metal beaded in the V-grooves to preventcutting of the overshoes, of

' hard board, such as Masonite or the like, and may be attached by anyof a wide variety of clip fasteners, or

by stakes fit into sockets on the pan, by nuts and bolts or the like; Inthepreferred form, here illustrated, the side members 2 are formed ofWire as a detachable frame work, as shown. Each frame side member iscomprised of an elongated rod 8 to which are attached a plurality of-U-shaped loops 9 in spaced side-by-side relation, the spaces betweenthe closed ends of loops 9 forming the V-shaped throats 7. The overallheight of loops 9 is preferably just slightly less than the inside widthof pan 1; and the length of rod 8 is preferably just slightly less thanthe inside length of pan 1, so'that the side members 2 may be heldwithin the pan for storage and shipping. The lower leg portions 10 ofloops 9,

. which, extend beyondrod 8, are preferably of a height corresponding tothe inside depth of pan 1. All of loops 9 are preferably welded orotherwise attached to one side of rod 8 in a single plane. A pluralityof smaller loops 11 are suitably attached to the opposite side of rod 8in a plane substantially parallel to that formed by loops 9, anddepending from rod 8 in the same direction as the open ends of loops 9.Loops 11 are likewise preferably of a length corresponding generallytothe depth of pan 1. Loops 11 andthe depending legs of loops 9'' Iengage the opposite sides of the side walls 5 and rods 8 engage the topedges of side walls 5 rigidly supporting the side members 2 uprightly inparallel spaced relationship on opposite sides of the pan 1.

As shown in broken lines in Figure 2, the overshoe 12 is placed in therack with the sole inwardly and the toe downwardly, and the portion ofthe upper just above the instep 14 is grasped and held by throat 7 inthe top edge of side member 2. The overshoes are thus held neatly and inorder, and the water, slush, mud and the like are permitted to draininto pan 1. :The side members are easily removed from the pan to permitcleaning of the pan as it becomes necessary. The overshoes are heldneatly and separately. Possibility of accidents from tripping overovershoes is eliminated. Cleanliness and neatness are encouraged inchildren. Individual pairs of overshoes are easily located from a largenumber without the necessity of handling other dirty overshoes. The topof all the overshoes remain clean. The floors and carpets are 'keptclean. I

The rack may be used to store overshoes from one season to the next, orit may readily be disassembled and the side members placed in the panfor storage.

Although a rectangular shaped pan and rack is in the preferred form ofthe invention, it is obvious that it could also be circular, ellipticalor the like. However,

i i 3 easy disassembly and ease age would be lost.

The following exemplary dimensions are given by way of illustrationonly, and do not constitute a limitation on the invention. For a rack'designed tohold-- six pairs of overshoes, the pan 1 may be rectangular;twenty:

four inches long, eight inches wide and means "one-1 half inches or sodeep(inside dimensions) out from if p rectangular waiter-tightpan, apair, of .removable side members 'adapted'to fit on the opposite" longsides of said pan in rigid; spaced apart, parallel side by-siderelation,

twenty-six gauge sheet iron,'-folded and solderedat the corners to makea water-tight vessel and thefl enameled.

or painted. Rod 8 is preferably of steel and about twenty-four incheslong to fit inside the pan 1; Loops 9 are formed of'ele'v en gauge steelwire a boutnine een-- inches long shaped to form U-shape'dloopsabout-eight inches high and.three inches wide at the top. These loopsare-welded in a plane on one sideof rodS with.

about one and one-half inches of the open end s ext'end i'rlg beyond therod. The lower leg portions 10 at the opposite sides of the open end ofloops 9 are about three and three-sevenths inches apart and successiveloops are welded with the ope'n' endsabutting one another.

Seven loops are required for each side' member 2. ,The

.end leg portions 161 preferably are spaced apart just slight:

ly fartherthan the inside length of the pan so asto fit with slightspring tension against the end walls 6 of th'e amen-a9 I of shipping andcompact storsaid side wall members being characterized by a plurality ofdownwardly extending generally rV-shaped' throats, each of said throatsbeing adapted to receive and hold a portion of an overshoe top, saidside members being re movably attached to the side walls of said pan andeach in the form of a wire frameworkthe lower edge of whichengagestheopposite sides of one side wall of said pan. 2. An overshoe rackcomprising an elongated shallow shoe upper, saidlside members eachcomprising an elongated rod substantially the length of said pan,arplurality of open generally U-shaped loops attachedin a plane on p 7one side of said rod iliSPfiCfld' side-by-side relation, said pan and tohold the .side memb'ersl more rigidly-in place. Lower loops l'ljareformed from elevenigauge steel wire about three and one half inches inlengthbent to form loops about one-half inch wide and one and 'onefourth inches long welded in a plane on the opposite side of rod 8fromloops 9. Preferably three loops 11' are provided, one central ylocatedand the otherspositioned near the opposite ends of rod 8.Obviously, these di mensions may be varied widely to -provide storagefor smaller or larger numbers of overshoes. For example, for schools, itmay be desired to provide storagefor man more pairs of overshoes thansix. For Sam-newness the racle in elementary grades, the width andvheightof may be made correspondingly smaller.

It is apparent that many modifications'and variations of this. inventionas hereinbefore set forth-may be made without departing from the spiritand scope thereof. The specific embodiments described are given by wayof example only, and the inventionis limited only' by the terms of theappended claims. r

I claim as my invention:

1. An overshoeraek comprising wardly from opposite sides of said pan,the top dg'es'of a shallow watertight rectangular pan and side wall.members *cx'ten'ding'upe v shape'd throats beingfforrne'd betweentheclosed ends of said loops, the lower open ends of said loopsextendingbeyond said rod for a distance substantially the inner 'dpthofsaid pan and a plurality of smaller generally U-sha ped loops attachedto the opposite side of said rod in p ans substantially parallel to'iuidspaced'apart from the ptmesr the first loops, the closed ends of saidsmaller loopsfextendingdownwardly and having a length approaching'thedcpthof thepan, the open ends of the largenoo s, the'sniallei' loopsvand the rod being adapted V to en agetne opposite sides'and top,respectively, of the lon sidewall of the pan to hold t'he' side membersrigidly upright.-

"ehsraaenze s. The eyersnoe rackizaceoidiflg to claim .2 further I in:that snap-as is .fornie'd" er r'fital and the nae manners are made atwire;

ii' f renees Cited in file ot this .pate'nt UNITED ,STATES PATENTS

